Southern Africa

(i) Upon entry to Oxford on 01 October 2027, you must be at least 19 years old and not have passed your 25th birthday (which means you must have been born after 01 October 2002 and on or before 01 October 2008).

(ii) For older candidates who will have passed their 25th birthday on 01 October 2027 and completed their first undergraduate degree later than usual:
• Candidates must have completed their first undergraduate degree within the last 2 years, i.e. after 1 October 2025*; and
• may not have passed their 28th birthday on 01 October 2027 (which means they must have been born after 01 October 1999).

(iii) For candidates who are MBBCh or an MBChB graduates, and required to complete their compulsory internship and/or community service:
• Candidates may not have passed their 28th birthday on 01 October 2027 (which means they must have been born after 01 October 1999).
• Candidates should apply either during their second year of internship, or during their community service year, provided that they meet the age requirement above.
• Candidates that can apply in their community service year (without breaching the age requirement in above) are encouraged to do so.
NOTE: For candidates that have to or choose to apply in their second year of internship, the Rhodes Scholarship National Secretariat will endeavour, as it has done in past years, to reach agreement with the National Department of Health to allow those medical doctors awarded the Rhodes Scholarship to complete their community service year requirement by September, in the year after they apply, and before going to Oxford in October 2027. While the Secretariat will strive to reach such dispensations, the granting of such cannot be guaranteed.

(iv) Other Health Sciences graduates in order to complete any compulsory internship and/or community service:
• Candidates who have completed the necessary Health Sciences degrees for admission to, and intend to be admitted to, any registered health profession that requires the completion of any compulsory internship and/or community service, should write to the Rhodes Scholarship National Secretariat to seek exemption to allow them to apply in their internship or community service year, provided that they will not have passed their 28th birthday on 01 October 2027 (which means they must have been born after 01 October 1999), and if:
• they cannot be accommodated under part iii above; and they are in a similar position to medical students given that, even if there are no delays or breaks in or between the completion of their compulsory university studies, internship and/or community service, they would not be able to be accommodated either under the general age limit or part ii above.
* A university's policy determines the date of completion of academic requirement for a degree and this may be different from when a degree is considered awarded by the university or the date of a graduation ceremony. In ambiguous cases, the decision of the National Secretary is final.